"It is about the truth" - City fan launches publicity campaign over Perdiswell

Worcester City fan bids to raise £1,000 to fund publicity

THE man behind a campaign to raise £1,000 to publicise Worcester City’s fight for a homecoming says his aim is simple – to uncover the truth.

City supporter Lyndon Roberts, also secretary of Worcester City Supporters’ Trust, has set up a Crowdfunder page to pay for billboards, banners, “hundreds” of posters and digital signage to highlight the homeless club’s plight.

This will be City’s seventh season in exile, groundsharing at Kidderminster Harriers and current base Bromsgrove Sporting since the sale of St George’s Lane.

The supporters’ trust, a community benefit society (CBS), has since taken a majority stake in the Midland Football League outfit and has been fighting tooth and nail to secure access to land to build a new stadium at Perdiswell.

It has planning permission, initially denied by Worcester City Council, but trust chairman Dave Wood admitted last week there remained “no will to bring it back to Perdiswell” from those in power.

Roberts revealed he had sent copies of the successful planning appeal and South Worcestershire Development Plan to the city council, Worcester MP Robin Walker and the Conservative and Green parties, also filing “a couple of freedom of information requests” relating to the proposals this week.

“No one has answered the question as to why Perdiswell isn’t the right place,” said Roberts.

“Whether that is the handful of residents who are very vocal about that piece of land or the council having other plans for it, ultimately no one can answer the question.

“When all of the odds seem stacked in Worcester City Football Club’s favour it is curious to me why the city council and councillors cannot put their finger on exactly why they are unable to lease that small patch of land.

“Being realistic this (campaign) is probably not going to change the council’s mind but it is about democracy.

“The public consultation was overwhelmingly in City’s favour, the planning was favourable and Perdiswell had previously been identified as a site for sport, leisure and recreation within the city.

“A government-appointed Planning Inspectorate went through the trust application, considering all the environmental, economic and social factors, and seemed to agree with the South Worcestershire Development Plan that it would be the right place for City.

“Really this is about the truth and that’s all anyone can ask for.

“If they are not willing to lease that piece of land, which would not cost them any money and in fact generate income on what is currently unused land, then why?

“Time is probably against them (the trust) now and councillors are very entrenched in their views despite all of the evidence being stacked against them. They are not going to change their minds.

“But forgetting the football club for the moment, in the interests of transparency and democracy this sets a precedent that planning in this city comes down to a feeling rather than the facts and that is not what it should be about.

“The preferences of a couple of people could prevent the club from surviving in the next few years.

“It feels like everything has gone into lockdown to drag out the process so City run out of time.

“I think it is only fair, particularly given the amount of time and resource a handful of volunteers have put in to get to this point, that a robust and detailed response to the question ‘why not Perdiswell?’ is given.”

Roberts, who said he had started this campaign as a fan and not on behalf of the trust, said it had created interest from a political party in the area which had led to talks with the trust today (Wednesday).

So far £165 of the £1,000 target has been raised. The Crowdfunder page can be found HERE with the new Bring City Home Twitter feed HERE.

“Lots of trust members and trust board members are helping out but the priority is to make this a fan-led thing and hopefully get some of the people who went to Coventry, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe to reengage,” added Roberts.

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